The original concept of combustion engines as we understand them dates as far back as the late 1800s. And while they are more or less a solved science today, they definitely didn't start that way.

Generally, combustion engines follow a standard principle of operation founded on the premise that the crankshaft spins clockwise (as seen from the driver’s seat). That’s how the powerplants are ...

A two-stroke engine combines intake (“scavenging”) and compression into one stroke, then ignites the charge and exhausts it on the next stroke. Unlike a four-stroke and its every-other-stroke power ...

It’s been a while since two-stroke engines went the way of the dinosaurs, with them being considered too inefficient, noisy, and emission-heavy for the 21st century. It is widely believed that the ...